Independent Coalition of Nations
For the pink team alliance of the same name, see Independent Coalition of Nations (Pink team alliance). Founding of ICON ICON was founded as a result of discussions that took place during GW3 between Brian Reimer, then of the NPO, and RiverCityDude, then of GATO. They were tired of the war and wanted to create a new alliance that would be outside of the Initiative-Aegis divide. The original framework for the charter of ICON was taken from GATO and ICON was seen by some as a way to recreate GATO without the shadow government and corruption that GATO was often criticized for having. The alliance remained a concept until the end of GW3 when RiverCityDude left GATO and Brian Reimer left NPO. They were soon joined by Arguskos (bloodydoves), Griffy, and Menno (Cheyenne), three other former GATOans. Duncan King, who had provided both Brian Reimer and RiverCityDude with advice on the structure of the charter, joined two days later. Originally, the government of ICON was relatively unstable. With the exception of Duncan King serving as Minister of Communications, the rest of the governmental positions changed hands relatively frequently, with RiverCityDude, Brian Reimer, and Arguskos serving in a variety of positions. The original members were soon joined by LordShazbot, formely of Legion, who served as Minister of Finance; GogetaDBZ96 and Kevonieia, both formerly of GATO, who joined the ICON senate; and William Payne, who was new to the game and served as Minister of Domestic Affairs and Minister of Finance. ICON as an Alliance As an alliance, ICON was much stronger in its foreign than its domestic affairs. It was known for its willingness to sign s and s with different alliances and was occasionally accused of being an alliance of "Treaty Whores." When it disbanded, ICON had s/ s with Ragnarok, ACDC, TTK, Sparta, NpO, ASC, NTO, FARK, LoSS, MHA, Atlantis, and TAB. It was also a party to the Aquatic Shield Treaty and a protectorate of NATO. This was due mostly to the work of Duncan King, who operated embassies on the forums of forty different alliances. While the external affairs of ICON were exceptional, it had problems internally. Of the thirty members of ICON at the time it was disbanded, only five or six were active on the forums regularly. This made it very difficult for the government to do any programs related to growth and limited the alliance's pool of capable members willing to enter government. Although ICON did extensive recruiting programs, its growth remained stagnant. Turning Points, Further Decline and Infighting The turning point for ICON came in late Summer. Elections were around the corner, old members were replaced by new ones. Daniel Jeffery, a relatively new game player from The Democratic Order arrived with huge ambitions for his political career. Griffy, a member from the beginning, left, which shocked the alliance. It appeared one active member had been replaced by another. Already, tensions were fraying in the alliance. Duncan King opened the election campaign on the 21st of September 2007. Jeffery was stood unchallenged for the role of Minister of Finance, on a controversial platform of introducing Bank Nations and giving members free aid. Although popular with many, it directly contradicted the personal beliefs of LordShazBot, Minister of Defence, who had previously been Minister of Finance. Jeffery's criticism of the current financial settlement led to a massive row the night before the election, in an event that forever scarred the face of the alliance. On October the 1st, elections were held. Duncan King was reelected Minister of Communications, Kevoneiea re-elected Minister of Domestic Affairs, LordShazbot Minister of Defence and Daniel Jeffery was elected Minister of Finance. Already. ICON's leadership was also divided in what they wanted the alliance to be. Some wanted the alliance to become large with many members and a high NS while others were content with having a low membership count and having a close community. ICON became split between progressives, headed by Daniel Jeffery, and conservatives, headed by LordShazBot. There was also a conflict in regards to aid, with some believing that aid was necessary for the growth of the alliance and others believing that nations should be encouraged to grow their nations themselves. In early November, Jeffery's campaign for reform brought infighting to the alliance, as the Bank Nations Act passed thinly through the Senate. The tension in the government finally came to a head in November when Duncan King, who had been the main force behind the alliance for months, announced that he wanted to step down from the government at the end of his term. This led to speculation as to whether or not he was intending on staying and started some members of the ICON government planning where they would go when King resigned. On November 19, King proposed a bill that would disband ICON and annex it into NATO, its protector alliance. The bill created much controversy in the alliance, and was eventually defeated 8-7 (it needed a 75% margin to pass). Disbandment Confirming the fears of the ICON government and members, Duncan King resigned from the alliance on November 30, 2007, to become a member of NATO. King's resignation was followed by the departure of the majority of the government, including Brian Reimer (Senate Speaker), Kevonieia (MoDA), GogetaDBZ96 (senator), MajorWontons (senator), and Avery22382238 (senator). Daniel Jeffery, the MoF, had departed a week earlier due to a dispute with another Minister about the course the alliance should take. When none of the remaining members expressed interest in continuing as an alliance, LordShazbot, the MoD, unofficially disbanded the alliance on December 1, 2007. The official disbandment message was posted by Duncan King on December 4, 2007. LordShazbot's Letter of Resignation As what I perceive as pretty much the last fully active member of ICON, and the last government member of ICON left, I post my resignation here. There is no one left to read it in the resignations forum. I came to ICON, much to the surprise of the founders, due to my size compared to it. I wanted to contribute my experience and strength to a small tight-knit alliance, not a big one - hence my choice of ICON over one of the bigger alliances. I was tired after a year in a larger alliance of being a cog in a wheel, a mouse among giants, one of the faceless masses. I became good friends with many of the members of ICON, and unfortunately a nemesis to one. That said, I never once regretted my decision until today. Today my heart breaks as all the last of the wonderful people I wanted to surround myself with jump ship. I fought to preserve ICON, and what ICON once was, because that meant the world to me. However, keeping ICON intact in name was merely a phyrric victory, as the majority of members chose to eviscerate it anyway. My pleas and insistence of unity, closeness, and comraderie fell on deaf ears. I have given my all for my alliance, and I have both succeeded, and failed. I hereby resign as the last government official of ICON, and also for whatever it's worth, my resignation from cybernations. I don't care to try to find some small alliance to join again, nor as stated do I wish to become an insignificant, unimportant, unvalued, faceless person in the masses. That leaves me with no where to go. Perhaps I shall check on my nation every once in a while, often enough not to get deleted, but I have ceased caring about the game after this episode, and hence will only exist as an empty shell, if at all.. Perhaps there are members left who were not active who will suddenly become active and hold emergency elections to refill the government, perhaps someone still cares out there. I simply can not. Ave ICON, Farewell ICON, LordShazbot, Departing former MoD of ICON Duncan King's Letter of Resignation Friends, allies, ICONians: At this time, you've probably noticed that my mask has changed. There is a reason for that as, as of this moment, I hereby resign my post as Minister of Communications of ICON and my membership in the Independent Coalition of Nations. This is a decision that I had been contemplating since the beginning of the month and finally decided to act on last week. My reasons for doing so are the same ones expressed in the annexation thread. I know that this decision is shocking to many of you and may be crippling to the alliance, but it is what honestly feel that I have to do. I proposed the annexation into NATO as a way to allow the alliance to avoid a slow death after its primary decision makers leave. However, as you have chosen to reject the annexation, I hereby give the task of saving ICON to you. You have chosen to give the alliance a second chance and I implore you not to waste it. As I am now in the process of applying to NATO, I am a member of the category of “former alliance leaders who should keep their opinions to themselves.” I promise that I will abide by that and will not give you my opinion of what I would have done if it had been me running the alliance. While the past is important, the present and future are more important. If something is not working, there is no reason not to change it. ICON was founded on three ideals: democracy, friendship, and diplomacy. Everything else is up for grabs. Because this is my last post in an official capacity, I am going to take the liberty of making some suggestions about what can be done to save ICON. Activity. I strongly recommend that the government of ICON declare its inactive members ghosts and require them to either drop their AA or become active in the alliance. If they don't do either of them, attack them until they drop their AA. Numbers are important, but nations who have been members for six months and have ten posts do nothing for the alliance but distort its strength and allow a rotten core of inactivity to develop. I can prepare a list of these nations for you if you need it, but they really are not that hard to figure out. Aid. Aid is the lifeblood of a small alliance and is really all a small alliance has to offer. As we noticed, having a really nifty charter does not draw in members. While the alliance owes the inactive members nothing, the active ones should be rewarded with having their nations grow as well as they would in a larger alliance. If a stunted nation is all they get from being in ICON, then why should they choose it? I hereby strongly suggest that ICON suggest some sort of aid fall program so that members who are active members can see their nations grow at a decent pace (I think 1000-2000 STR a month is reasonable). Members not contributing to the program should not be punished for it, but they should be restricted from receiving some of the benefits of being in an alliance. The nations that are the most able to help others should be expected to do so. As for the kind of aid that is sent out, I would recommend against a signing bonus, because that invites gravediggers. However, that could be negated if nations understood they would be expected to repay all aid received within two weeks of their departure from the alliance. Government. A democracy can only stay a democracy if someone is there to run it. When Senators miss votes and Ministers are absent, the alliance suffers. Additionally, being a deputy or working in an alliance is the best way for a member to become active and develop a stake in the alliance. I encourage each of the Ministers and Senators to do their jobs to the fullest extent of the charter and do their best to involve the general membership of ICON into the running of the alliance. Additionally, respect the power of the Ministers to do their jobs. Do not allow the protestations of another department head to stop another department head from running his or her department as he or she chooses. Our most recent Minister of Finance left the alliance for this reason. This should not have been allowed to happen. Other government members should be seen as trusted advisors to each other and should discuss important issues, but Ministers should have the discretion to run their ministries as they so choose. If the other Minister or Senator has a problem with that, they can run for that office next time and change it back. The bullying or pressuring of a Minister by another Minister to run his or her department in a different way should be grounds for suspension or removal. Additionally, if a Minister or Senator is absent or inactive, get rid of them. The charter provides the way to do that, don't be afraid to use it. Finally, do not allow the weight of running the alliance to rest on the shoulders of one person. It was said by some that I was the “soul of ICON.” I gave the alliance everything that I had and ended up getting crushed by the burden of it. Do not allow this to happen again. Work together so you all carry the same, much more manageable weight. Foreign Affairs. ICON has one of the most impressive treaty webs in the game and I am very, very proud of it. It is your crowning glory. Keep the treaty web strong by sending ambassadors to those alliances that we have treaties with and keeping the embassies on ICON and on other forums active. Always be on the lookout for new friends. Encourage everyone who is even slightly interested in being an ambassador to be one. Get as many people involved as you can. However, do not lose sight of what is happening at home. I was too busy making treaties to see the decay that was developing in the alliance or do anything about it before it was too late. Don't make the same mistake. Keep the foreign affairs strong but keep in mind that the home-front is more important because without a stable home, there can be no foreign affairs. Growth. Alliance membership is just a number but strength matters. Recruit, recruit, recruit. More members mean more help and mean more opportunities for growth. However, don't allow new members to be inactive. I recommend developing an ICON academy and would be happy to help you to do so in my capacity as an ambassador from NATO. As this is getting long, I am going to close by telling you three more things about me. First, my past. I am very happy I came to ICON and there is no where else that I would rather have spent these last seven months. You all are wonderful people and you all deserve to live long and prosper in CN and in RL. I never wanted to be an alliance leader, but it was a role that I happily filled. I learned a lot, and I benefitted from it quite a bit. I only hope I benefitted the alliance in return. I understand that the job that I did as Minister of Communications was very in depth and complicated. Therefore, I have requested closure of all embassies of ICON abroad with the exception of those alliances with whom we have a treaty with. That means that 15 of 30 embassies that ICON maintains will be closed. Please focus on filling the treatied alliances' embassies first. The rest will be happy to reopen the embassies when you are ready to fill them. Second, my future. There is a reason I chose to try to annex the alliance into NATO: I had already made up my decision to join the alliance and I thought that it would be a safe place for the nations of ICON to make their new home. It is my understanding that I am to serve in a capacity similar to that of a DMoC in charge of protectorates. Therefore, I will still be visiting the board in an official capacity. This means that it is very important that we be able to work with each other. I know that some of you may see me as a traitor to ICON. In a way, that would be right because I left. However, even in my position at NATO, I still want only the best for you all. If you hate me after this or want nothing to do with me, I understand that. I will not offer advice unless asked and will only inquire for information that I need to report to my superiors in NATO or to do my job. I will not tell you how to do your jobs or run your alliance. Also understand that should the situation be reversed, I would only want the best for you and would not be angry towards you in any way. In fact, I would be proud that you learned enough in ICON to be able to go out on your own and do well. Finally, my present. I have only two regrets about ICON. One is that I did not focus on the domestic in the beginning. I did not recruit, preferring to outsource it to another alliance. That was a mistake as the old adage goes, “If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself.” By the time I did start recruiting, it was already too late as the alliance was already stunted. My second and biggest regret was the lack of aid sent out after ICON participated in the war. The fact that no nation at all received combat aid was a colossal failure and should not have been tolerated. Every nation that fought in the war should have received at least 100K and those that were damaged should have been compensated for those damages. If the war had gone better for the alliance's larger fighting nations (me, Brian, and Kevonieia), we would have had that money. It was a disgrace that our preparations, which included sending our biggest money maker into peace mode, did not result in aid being sent. If I had been in a better financial condition and was not preoccupied with the war effort, I would not have allowed it to happen. But I did and the result was the alliance failing those who were fighting. I do not regret entering the war, but I do regret the alliance's failure to take care of the soldiers. And so it is with a heavy heart that I end this address and my time here. I thank you all for allowing me to lead you for so long. It was an honor and I hope that I served you well. If you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. TL/DR: You have been given a second chance, don't waste it. Charter ICON INDEPENDENT COALITION OF NATIONS We, the members of ICON, do hereby present this document, the bedrock of our beliefs, our charter, to the entirety of Cybernations. We make this declaration from the view that an alliance is only as good as its membership and that is it their belief in the alliance’s ideals that makes the alliance great. I. Membership- Membership in ICON will be open to all nations who show a need to be independent from the various political spheres that dominate Cybernations today. All member nations of ICON are equal and have the right to serve the alliance in any capacity they choose regardless of their time in ICON, their previous alliance affiliations, or their personal political beliefs. II. Government- The government of ICON is a Republic because a republican government will better serve the independent nature of our members. A. The Senate- A Senate of 15 elected members of ICON will make up the main body of ICON. Legislation will be enacted through the Senate. Any judicial matters will be decided through the Senate. The fifteen members of the Senate will be made up as follows: 1. 10 Senators 2. 1 Senate Speaker 3. The 4 Ministers B. Senate Legislation- Any member of ICON may bring Legislation to the Senate. Once two Senators officially endorse the said legislation, then debate will begin on its merits. This period of debate will continue until brought to a vote by a Senator. The Speaker will then call the vote, which will last for a period of 24 hours, no more and no less. Once the voting has closed, if a majority of those who voted did so in favor of the legislation, then it passes, and is put into effect immediately. C. Senate Speaker- The Senate Speaker will be the face of the ICON Senate. The Speaker’s duties will be to direct congressional meetings, make sure that elections are conducted within the proper time frame, and that all relevant debate is held on the topic. S/he also makes public statements to the Cyberverse when required. D. The Ministries of ICON- 1. Minister of Finance– The MoF directs aid trains, supplies soldiers, and otherwise transfers funds. 2. Minister of Defense- The MoD directs the soldiers of ICON. S/he makes sure that all nations are battle ready, and that a small number are active, and engaged in a number of defensive wars at all times, so that they are prepared for any eventuality. S/he will also work with the MoF to ensure that all nations receive aid to increase their strength. 3. Minister of Domestic Affairs- The MoDA takes care of applications, for the most part. S/he also will enforce a code of conduct on the forums, that s/he will create, and present to the Senate for ratification. He will be given the power to deal with all those that choose to break these rules. 4. Minister of Communications- The MoC will take care of public announcements to the people of ICON, forum upkeep new sections, moved threads, etc., IRC access, and will communicate with the Senate about the goings on in Cybernations. S/he will pursue new treaties with other alliances as well. His/her final duty will be to work with and coordinate his/her fellow ministers with the wishes of the Senate Speaker, as to ensure maximum efficiency in times of crisis and of peace. E. Succession in case of absences. Should any of the Ministers or the Senate Speaker be absent for a period of time lasting over four days, their duties shall be carried out by the person they have selected to serve as a successor. This person shall by their first level deputy or another official in the Ministry in the case of a Minister or another senator in the case of the Senate Speaker. If the Minister or Senate Speaker has not chosen a successor, an interim replacement shall be chosen by the Senate. In the case of Senators, no interim Senator needs to be appointed as long as 2/3 of the Senate is still able to be active. III. Elections A. General- Elections for Ministers will be held every three months during the second-to-last week of the third month. Elections for Senatorial positions will be held on the last week of the third month. Nominations will begin six days before the scheduled election day of the third month and will last for two days. Debates will begin five days before the scheduled election day and will last for three days, thus providing one day of overlap between nominations and debates. Elections will begin on the scheduled date, and will last two days (48 hours). All seats will be taken upon the hour of the completed election. B. Special- Should one of the elected officials of ICON become unable to serve in their post due to resignation, impeachment, or prolonged absence without explanation, their post must be filled by special election. The procedures for running the special election shall be the same as those for a general election. IV. Initiative and Referendum- As a second track to legislation, ICON will use an initiative and referendum system. This method will be available for the use of the entire membership of the alliance and will be available to enact policies from all areas of alliance business including legislation, treaties, and impeachment of ministers, senators, and their deputies. The Initiative-Referendum process will follow the following procedure. A. Proposal- A member of the alliance formulates a proposal for legislation and presents it to the alliance. B. Petition- During this stage, the proposing alliance member lobbies his/her fellow members for their support. If 1/3 of the members of the alliance vote that the proposal is worthy of the consideration of the entire alliance, it is put to a vote before the entire alliance. C. Referendum- The entire alliance votes on the proposal. If it receives a 2/3 majority, the proposal becomes law. In the case of passing or repealing constitutional amendments, the margin will be 3/4. V. War and Peace- The Independent Coalition of Nations shall be a peaceful alliance and shall use diplomatic means before resorting to war. A. War 1. War in General- No nation of ICON shall engage in unauthorized attacks or spy missions. Authorized attacks shall only occur under the context of a rogue defense, an alliance war, a war game sanctioned by the Ministry of Defense, or other combat activities explicitly authorized by the Minister of Defense. Tech raiding and other unauthorized attacks are strictly forbidden and shall be treated by the ICON government as misconduct to be dealt with under Article VI. No nation shall engage in spy missions against another nation unless that nation is already actively fighting a war with that nation. Unauthorized spy missions shall be treated as misconduct and shall be dealt with under Article VI. 2. Declaration of War on an Alliance- The ICON Senate shall have the sole power to declare war on an alliance. To declare war, a member of the Senate must propose a bill stating the alliance that is being declared war on and the justifications for doing so. The Senate shall then vote on the measure as it would another piece of legislation. To be considered at war, the majority of the Senate must vote to ratify the declaration and the declaration must be posted on the Cybernations Forums by a member of the ICON government. Once a war declaration is in effect, peace can be established by a majority vote of the ICON Senate to cancel the war declaration or to accept peace terms. 3. Governing of War- The Minister of Defense shall have final authority over all of ICON's military activities. B. Peace- in its dealings with foreign nations and alliances, ICON will operate under the banner of peace and friendship. Treaties of friendship and amity such as TOAs and PIATs are to be favored over treaties of war. Treaties providing for the defense of allies, such as MDPs and protectorates, may be ratified by the Senate provided that ICON has a prior relationship of friendship with the other party and the activation of the treaty will not find ICON torn between obligations with warring parties. To avoid dueling treaty obligations, the Senate shall only approve mandatory defense treaties with the alliances that ICON is closest to. Treaties requiring mandatory assistance in aggression, such as MADPs, shall not be ratified under any circumstances. Treaties providing for optional aggression, such as OAPs, may be ratified as long as the wording of the treaty allows ICON to choose whether it assists in the aggression or not and shall be treated the same as a TOA or a PIAT. VI. Misconduct- Should a member of ICON, whether they be a member of a Ministry, the Senate, or general alliance member, be suspected of misconduct, the misconduct will be dealt with according to the following procedures: A. Definition: Misconduct is defined as 1. Waging unauthorized wars or carrying out unauthorized spying missions on nations not belonging to ICON and against other alliances. 2. Perpetuating aid or tech fraud on the alliance 3. Failing to perform the duties and responsibilities of a Senator, Minister, or another government official competently and/or in a way that does not work to further the best interests of the alliance and its members. This also includes being absent from the forums for more than four days without giving a warning or explanation in advance to the other government members and/or arranging to have someone carry out the duties that would be neglected during the absence. B. Accusation: 1. Any member of ICON shall have the power to commence misconduct proceedings against any other member of ICON. 2. To commence proceedings, a member must submit a formal complaint to the Senate Speaker detailing the misconduct and any evidence that s/he intends to present. If the subject of the complaint is the Senate Speaker, the complaint can be submitted to the Minister of Domestic Affairs. C. Proceedings 1. Proceedings must be commenced within 48 hours of receiving the complaint. 2. A panel composed of two Ministers, two Senators, two general members, and the Senate Speaker shall carry out the disciplinary proceedings and determine the punishment. The Senate Speaker shall moderate the proceedings. Should the Senate Speaker be the subject of the disciplinary proceedings, this role will be filled by the Minister of Domestic Affairs. The members of the panel other than the Senate Speaker shall be selected randomly from a pool of all eligible members. Those testifying during the proceedings as witnesses or who are the subject of proceedings shall be barred from serving on the disciplinary panel. If, due to exclusions from the panel, there are less than two Ministers eligible to serve on the panel, one substitute shall be selected from the Senate and the second shall be selected from the general membership. If there are less than two Senators are eligible to serve on the panel, any substitutes will be selected from the general membership. 3. The disciplinary proceedings shall take place in a private forum under the General Discussion forum. All ICON members will have the power to view the forum but only the members of the panel and the witnesses shall have the power to post in it. If the panel members, the subject of the proceedings, and any needed witnesses consent to it, the proceedings may be held on IRC as long as the proceedings are private, a log is kept of the discussions, and the log is posted in a thread in the forum for members to see. 4. During the proceedings, the panel will hear evidence from the accuser. Relevant forms of evidence to consider will include a. Private messages from both ingame and forum sources b. IRC Logs c. Testimony from members of the alliance and other interested and involved parties 5. After the evidence has been heard, the accused shall have the opportunity to speak on their own behalf, to refute/explain evidence, and to make any personal statement s/he wishes. 6. After the evidence has been heard, the Speaker will call an end to the proceedings and the panel will deliberate over whether the subject of the proceedings was guilty of the charges and what the punishment should be. The panel must agree by a 75% margin that the accused is guilty and the punishment is appropriate. The panel will have 24 hours after the end of the proceedings to reach its decision. D. Punishment 1. The disciplinary panel shall have the right to impose any and all forms of punishment on the subject of the proceedings. Possible forms of punishment include fines, expulsion from the alliance, and impeachment. 2. Expulsion shall be reserved only for the most serious offenses related to aid fraud, war and spying, or for when the wronged party was another alliance and it is demanded as compensation for the harm. 3. The panel is not required to impose a punishment and can reserve the right to do so if it does not feel that it is necessary. 4. Once the panel reaches its decision, the decision is final and the subject of the proceedings has 24 hours to acknowledge the decision and start working with the panel to implement the decision. VII. Charter Amendments- The membership of ICON may pass amendments and abolish amendments thru a 75% majority of the votes that are cast. Unlike "standard votes," amendment votes are open to ANY any member of ICON who wishes to cast a vote. VIII. Declaration of our Independence- We the citizens of ICON do declare our political independence. We do not believe in warmongering, we do not believe that war is in our best interests as an alliance. We will endeavor to be friendly to ALL alliances that come to us with sincere offers of friendship.